Study: Exercise increases cancer survival rates

The NEJM study linking exercise to better cancer survival prompted a mix of personal stories and broad endorsements. grimcompanion and fusslo shared moving anecdotes about relatives who survived long after diagnosis yet still watched many peers die, with grimcompanion noting that treatment response - not exercise alone - often determines outcomes. Others like kqr and jgalt212 argued exercise is plainly beneficial for everyone as basic self-care, and genghisjahn likened its effects to a miracle pill. jagraff acknowledged widespread benefits but flagged isolated findings tying elite athleticism to higher ALS risk.

Several commenters raised methodological and mechanistic caveats. ljf and patall warned of healthy‑user bias and selection effects that could make exercisers look healthier simply because sicker patients can’t maintain activity. Noaidi and jraby3 suggested glucose reduction or fasting-like effects might mediate benefits, while weird-eye-issue, francisofascii, and Noaidi cautioned about a U-shaped curve: excessive endurance exercise can introduce oxidative stress, poor fueling habits, sleep deficits, or other harms. Melatonic and WarmWash offered sardonic takes on the study’s obviousness. Overall the conversation balanced enthusiasm for exercise with skepticism about causality and concerns about extremes and treatment‑related limitations.